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tion of the Federal Government. During this time it has helped, naturally, to make some good history. For instance, the pilot boats were used as privateers during the war of 1812 and did most gallant service. On one occasion the pilot boat William D. Romer was sent on secret service to head a clipper Liverpool packet, and arrived three days ahead of the packet at Queenstown. The pilot boat Thomas R. Skiddy was the first vessel to enter a Japanese port under Commodore Perry. During the blockade of New York in the war of 1812, a cutter was employed by the British to interrupt small vessels. A pilot boat disguised as a coaster, with a number of armed men on board, captured the cutter, landed on Sandy Hook those of the crew who were killed in the encounter, and towed the captured cutter into port. It was the New York pilot boat, Flying Fish, which, under Lieutenant Walker, in 1839, made an Antarctic voyage of discovery.

THE WORLD'S SHIPWRECKS.

We hear much of the many finely modeled ships that are built from time to time, but little of the many vessels that are lost. Take the year 1896 for example. In that year 68 vessels, the larger proportion ships, sailed from some port or other, and, according to Lloyd's annual return, never again were heard of, and these too, were fairly good-sized craft. England and her colonies contributed 28,500 out of the 49,100 tons which thus passed out of record in that year. The total number of wrecks for 1896 too seems large-1,086 vessels of 649,946 tons,but, it must be remembered that there are probably always afloat on the high seas over 20,000,000 tons of shipping, which fact, although it increases the surprise that so many vessels should be lost without any news, indicates generally a fairly low ratio of loss from 3 to 4 per cent. of tonnage.

Within the last 30 years prior to 1896 there were on the British coasts 66,377 wrecks, with the loss of 22,312 lives.

It is the steam craft that account for the major por

tion of the tonnage lost, while the sailing craft swell the number of vessels lost. During the third quarter of 1896, for instance, July to September inclusive, those wrecked were: Steam, 57 vessels of 84,681 tons gross; sailing, 119 vessels of 52,606 tons net. During the same quarter there was not a single steamer posted as "Burned," "Lost," or "Missing," and only two were abandoned at sea. Ás against this, there were 11 sailing ships abandoned, 6 burned, 1 lost and 4 missing.

The experience of the Atlantic companies has shown that a ship can be rendered almost as safe as a house on shore by a liberal expenditure of money, and by increasing vigilance on the part of the captain and crew. It is the ship on which undue economy is exercised that usually falls a prey to bad weather.

WRECKERS.

The wrecking companies have boats stationed at convenient places; and along the entire line of the coast, living within sight of each other, numerous agents who daily patrol the coast on the lookout for wrecks and send immediate information to headquarters. After every gale from the east the boats cruise along the coast in search of vessels in distress. It is a principle of maritime law that no claim for salvage can be established unless proof is adduced of the abandonment of the wreck by its crew, or that the captain or master in command has asked by signal or otherwise for assistance. Often when vessels have been run ashore, or are stranded or sink in shoal water, a master may decline assistance from the salvors, or make a special bargain with them to aid in getting him off. Wreckers take advantage of knowledge of sands and tides.

THE LAWS OF SALVAGE.

In the last few years of misadventure at sea there have been many instances of ships rescuing other ships, met in imminent danger on the highways of the Atlantic, and the rescuing ships have in many cases got rich re

wards of salvage. In England and America the amount of salvage rests with the judge of the Admiralty Court, who determines it after hearing the evidence which shows the value of the service rendered. The rules which govern the proceedings of admiralty courts are explicit.

There is no obligation upon the master of any vessel to heed signals of distress. He may go upon his way as if no call for aid had been made, and the law cannot touch him. But there are few instances of masters having done this without some excuse. And the unwritten law which says that a call for help at sea must be obeyed, is most powerful, being enforced by public opinion. Every master knows that danger may come to him and his vessel, and that it would not be well for him if he had ever disobeyed this unwritten law. The laws of salvage are in existence to encourage endeavors to save life and property at sea. At the same time, the laws have in mind the danger of exciting the avarice of masters and owners, and have made strict provision for justice to both sides. For instance, under all but the most extraordinary circumstances, a master and crew cannot get salvage for saving their own vessel. It is supposed that they must do everything in their power to save it and to keep it from danger under their contract with the owners, and the law has been careful not to give them a chance to put the ship in peril, so that they may profit by its rescue. Any exorbitant bargain made by the master of a ship with the master of another ship in sore distress will not hold in court. Nor will an unsuccessful attempt at salvage form the basis for a claim. The salvage must be complete, or it is not at all. It must be shown also that the peril was actual, and that the assistance was given in good faith.

In England salvage may be claimed for saving vessels only on the high seas or in tide water. In America salvage extends to harbors, to the lakes, and to the rivers upon which interstate commerce is carried on. In England claims for salvage are heard by the Admiralty division of the High Court of Justice. In America the United States District Court sits as an admiralty court. The common ground upon which claims for salvage may

be based is the saving of a ship imperilled by the sea, by fire, by rocks, by crippled machinery or equipment, by pirates, enemies, or the sickness or death of the crew or master. The amount is determined by the danger incurred, by the peril of the distressed ship, and by the value of the ship and cargo. While the salvage is usually paid by the underwriters, it is always to the interest of masters to refrain from calling for assistance so long as possible. The salvage is paid to the owners of the vessel that does the saving. It is as a general thing about one-third of the value of the vessel and cargo in the case of a sailing vessel, and between one-third and onehalf in the case of a steam vessel. Of this sum the master of the salvor gets a considerable share. His proportion is usually twice that of the mate, and the mate gets twice what each seaman gets. Those seamen who risk their lives in the lifeboats or who are sent aboard to manage the wrecked or crippled vessel, get twice as much as those who stay behind in the rescuing ship.

It is a curious fact that the law does not permit any salvage for saving life. This is because under the insurance contracts a vessel is not held to have gone out of her course when she goes out of it to save life, while, if she goes to save property, her insurance is no longer in force. Naval and other marine officers of the government cannot claim salvage when they are within the lines of their duty. There are especial rules in cases of saving derelicts; a derelict being regarded as still the property of her owners, although her crew has abandoned her and no effort is making to recover her.

Often a ship fortunate enough to save an imperilled or helpless vessel will make more than she would on two or three voyages. If she but renders assistance she gets far more than the mere payment for her time and trouble. But when one ship hails another for slight assistance there is usually a bargain made then and there, and this bargain bars all claims for salvage. When a ship has a clear right to salvage, the owners or underwriters of the saved ship do not make any great contest of the claim. They merely try to bring out the exact extent of the peril and prevent the assessment of an exorbitant sum.

The admiralty courts always have a number of claims for salvage under consideration. While some of these claims amount to only a few hundreds or a few thousands of dollars, a few result in awards of from $25,000 to $150,000.

HYDROGRAPHY.

There are about 200 rocks dangerous to navigation discovered every year. The British Admiralty keeps a dozen vessels employed in hydrographical surveying in various parts of the world. Discoveries made by other vessels are also reported to the British Admiralty. The Coast-Survey is a most delicate and important branch of government service in America, to which the sailor looks for knowledge of shifting bottoms, dangerous shoals, isolated rocks and other perils to navigation. It furnishes accurate maps of the whole coast; points out the positions for lighthouses, beacons and other signals; determines the character and cause of currents of the ocean along our shores; develops the laws of the tides; ascertains the prevailing courses of the winds; notes the changes which take place near harbor entrances; investigates the character of the bottom of the sea, and in fact, does anything that may contribute to a full and accurate knowledge of our coast and adjacent waters.

Storm warnings were first issued in Holland in 1860. Daily weather charts were first issued in 1872.

DERELICTS.

For the past several years the Hydrographic Office of the Navy Department has been of great service to mariners by collecting information regarding derelicts, their movements, changes in character or position, by the action of the elements or other causes, and publishing the same on the first of each month in the form of a pilot chart, which also contains a large amount of other information of the greatest value to the navigator. Subsidiary to the work of the Hydrographic Office in locating dangerous wrecks and reporting the movements of derelicts, have been the

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